Bad Words

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Bad Words

R

2014

1h 25m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

131 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), a 40-year-old misanthrope, makes waves at a regional spelling bee when, due to a loophole in the rules, he is allowed to enter -- and later wins. Hurling insults at every turn, Guy advances to the national contest in Los Angeles, accompanied by a reporter (Kathryn Hahn) who wants to discover his hidden motives for entering the bee. As the competition gears up, friendless Guy inexplicably forms a bond with a young speller who is feeling parental pressure to win.

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Critics Consensus

Scabrously funny and gleefully amoral, Bad Words boasts one of Jason Bateman's best performances -- and proves he's a talented director in the bargain.

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Wesley Morris

Grantland

04/03/2014

I didn't like anything about the movie before discovering what Guy is up to. I actively hated it after I figured out what was actually going on.

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Robert Everett-Green

Globe and Mail

03/28/2014

1/4

The laughs in this film are all mean-spirited or just frat-boy gross.

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

03/27/2014

2.5/4

Almost unrelenting in its takedown both of an American institution and the country's obsession with victories big and small, Bad Words is more misanthropic fantasy than satiric fiction.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 21

2.5/4

Watching Jason Bateman employ his deadpan demeanor, frosty stares, and impeccable timing to amusingly berate others isn’t a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/02/2020

3.5/4.0

Bad Words casts a hilarious spell.

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

08/13/2020

The representation of super-focused oddballs in Bateman's film is not terribly intriguing.

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Zhaleh S.

@RT22191158 Jun 14

Funny and charming.

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Ben H

@MovieBuffBen Sep 6

This movie had me cracking up the entire time! Jason Bateman really surprised me with this character. It was such a fun, borderline wildly inappropriate movie. But its edgyness really added a lot to it. Just a great comedy and solid story.

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Samantha J

@RT91919704 08/11/2025

Horrible, horrendous. So unfunny and offensive. And the premise made no sense.

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Daniel C. M

@RT91944882 05/03/2025

A genuinely funny poltically incorrect dark comedy that explores our intimate desire for a complete, free of consequences freedom and in that offers a great and original escapist fantasy like no-other. I also personally found the protagonist, flawlessly portrayed by Jason Bateman, to be very relatable and realistic.

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Frank P

@RT39887683 04/24/2025

Obnoxiously pathetic….

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Sharon C

@RT77227033 02/14/2025

Totally enjoyed it! So much fun!

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Jason Bateman

Director

Jason Bateman

Guy Trilby

Kathryn Hahn

Jenny Widgeon

Rohan Chand

Chaitanya Chopra

Philip Baker Hall

Dr. Bowman

Allison Janney

Dr. Bernice Deagan

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Synopsis

Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), a 40-year-old misanthrope, makes waves at a regional spelling bee when, due to a loophole in the rules, he is allowed to enter -- and later wins. Hurling insults at every turn, Guy advances to the national contest in Los Angeles, accompanied by a reporter (Kathryn Hahn) who wants to discover his hidden motives for entering the bee. As the competition gears up, friendless Guy inexplicably forms a bond with a young speller who is feeling parental pressure to win.

Director: Jason Bateman
Producer: Jason Bateman, Mason Novick, Sean McKittrick, Jeff Culotta
Screenwriter: Andrew Dodge
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Darko Entertainment, MXN Entertainment, Aggregate Films
Rating: R (Crude and Sexual Content|Brief Nudity|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 21, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.8M
Runtime: 1h 25m

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